From Vegas to Hollywood: Professional Poker Players are Today’s Hot New Celebs

If you believe what the new Celebrity Apprentice Joan Rivers says, poker players are “beyond white trash.” But I bet you could find millions of poker fans who disagree with that assessment. As a matter of fact, poker is wildly popular right now and so are its practitioners. This is evidenced by the fact that poker players like the rightful Celebrity Apprentice Annie Duke, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Phil Gordon and many others have become famous beyond anyone’s expectations in recent years.

Poker’s star-making ability has inspired many to try to make a living on Internet gambling sites. Some have actually been very successful and because of this many more people have become Internet poker millionaires. These poker successes are not always who you would expect them to be, because there are almost as many teenagers and people in their early-twenties as their are seasoned professionals. Unfortunately, for every new batch of successful poker players, there are also plenty of people who are victims of online gambling scams. Mostly new players fall into this trap, because they are lured by the promise of big money and don’t do their homework first.

To make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to you, the following points can help you determine whether a site is a scam:

If the site doesn’t have professional-looking graphics and technology, go somewhere else. Sub-standard construction could be an indicator of the work of a quick-buck artist or a cash-strapped owner who may go belly-up and take your money with him.

Check if the site or its owners are members of the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). IGC members pledge to follow a code of ethics.

Don’t register with a site that doesn’t have 24-hour support with both a toll-free phone number and e-mail addresses.

If the site looks professional, is an IGC member and has good contact info, do a few small transactions as tests before you do any major gambling. These should tell you a lot about the integrity of the site.

Every poker player got his or her start somewhere, so there’s no reason why with a little luck and a lot of practice you couldn’t become one of online poker’s stars. Just be sure to do your due diligence first, so your success won’t be tainted by regret.